It was only a matter of time. But eventually they saw it our way. In early April 2017, oil prices had just rebounded from a low of $47 to $53.76 on hopes that the OPEC and non-OPEC agreements would be extended, summer driving season would kick in much higher demand, and a knee-jerk reaction to…
DetailsLast Friday, the U.S. GDP tumbled to just 0.7%, down from 2.1% in the previous quarter and well below expectations of 1.0%. That’s the lowest quarterly growth in about three years. While we saw increases in business investment, exports and housing, it was mostly offset by a big slowdown in consumer spending – up just…
DetailsSmart investors have always been drawn to small-cap stocks. Once you uncover the underappreciated, inexpensive gems, your returns can be far more rewarding than a large cap stock. Plus, for the past 89 years, small caps have historically returned 12.2% a year, as compared to a 9.8% return for the S&P 500. And there’s good…
DetailsIt only took 17 years. On March 22, 2000, the NASDAQ Composite Index hit a high of 5,022 before pulling back to less 1,200. Since then – other than the meltdown of 2008 – it has never been as low. In fact, since that low of 1,200 in 2000, the index is up 414% at…
DetailsIt looks like small cap stocks are having another incredible year. Since mid-March 2017 lows, the Russell 2000 tacked on 5% of upside, while the S&P 500 gained just 3% — thanks in part to an incredible broader market rally and Donald Trump’s plans to slash the corporate tax rate to just 15%. They’ve become…
DetailsTesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, had quite the message for investors. If you don’t like the way he’s running the show, maybe you should just buy Ford. “This investor group should buy Ford,” he tweeted. “Their governance is amazing…” That was in response to a request from the California State Teachers Retirement System, Hermes Equity Ownership…
DetailsOil traders are getting excited as crude oil prices rebounded off a low of $47 to $53.76 on several events. For one, there are hopes for a potential extension of the OPEC and non-OPEC production deal, which could offset rebounding U.S. production. In fact, Russia just announced it’s weighing an extension. Two, Libya’s Sharara field…
Details“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Those astute words of Thomas Edison still hold true today, and that mistake is a potentially expensive one that can cost investors millions. To this day, investors skip on opportunities because they choose to ignore a boring stock, or…
DetailsSo much for economists’ predictions that unemployment would be 180,000 in March. Instead, the Labor Department’s report showed a gain of only 98,000 jobs for the month. Part of the reason for the less-than-cheery Labor Department news was the 30,000 jobs lost in the retail sector. We’re still seeing contraction here with major chains closing…
DetailsMark Twain was a brilliant author. We all remember Huckleberry Finn, The Innocents Abroad, Roughing It, The Prince and the Pauper, and Pudd’nhead Wilson. But as brilliant and creative he was as an author, he was a terrible investor – one of the worst. In fact, by the time he was 59 in 1895, he…
Details“War, huh, yeah… What is it good for… Absolutely nothing War, huh, yeah… What is it good for… Absolutely nothing…” That’s what Edwin Starr sang in 1970, protesting the Vietnam War. But whether you agree with war or not, there are benefits, especially to smart traders. War, as it turns out, isn’t as bad for…
DetailsWhen most investors see a stock plunge, their first instinct is to stay away. But doing so may be costing you thousands of dollars because there can be opportunity in chaos. As we’ve learned from many successful, well-known investors, when fundamentally sound stocks plunge, that’s the time to buy. For example, in the 1800s, Baron…
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